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In 2026, teacher vacancies remain across all regions of the US as a result of the persistent problem of teacher shortages. The Learning Policy Institute’s State Teacher Shortages 2026 Update counts at least 425,412 teaching positions that were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments, about 1 in 8 positions nationally: 387,843 teachers not fully certified in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and 37,569 unfilled positions in the 29 states and the District of Columbia that publish vacancy data. LPI calls this a minimum, because some states report no data or only partial data. In some areas, the inability to find qualified teachers is so bad that anyone who passes a background check gets hired, even without holding a relevant degree. While teacher vacancies are a national challenge, there are major differences from one state to another.
This article breaks down US teacher vacancies by state in 2026. We look at the number of unfilled positions and of teachers not fully certified for their assignments, and how these compare to the total number of teachers in the state. Measured by the share of teachers not fully certified, the states most severely impacted by teacher shortages are Louisiana, Delaware, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas. Meanwhile, the states with the smallest shares are North Dakota, Maine, Ohio, Missouri and Colorado. These disparities highlight the urgent need for comprehensive teacher shortage solutions across affected regions.
Fullmind helps districts fill teacher vacancies with highly qualified, state-certified K-12 teachers who are trained in integrated instruction. Our services are available nationwide, and we can fill vacancies in as little as two weeks.
Let’s see current teacher vacancies by US state. Unfilled positions, teachers not fully certified and total teachers come from the Learning Policy Institute’s State Teacher Shortages 2026 Update (Tan, Baez & Patrick, 2026), which uses each state’s most recent published data (2023–24 to 2025–26), and average teacher salaries are the National Education Association’s 2025–26 estimates (Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026, Table E-6). Shortage areas are listed for each state for 2026–27 (see the note after the state list).
Alabama reports 1,684 unfilled teaching positions, and about 1 in 7 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). This is a long-standing problem in the state caused by a decreasing number of graduates in the education field and a high turnover among teachers. Similar challenges affect other states, including the Montana teacher shortage, though not all areas are equally impacted, and some subjects face more shortages than others.
To address the challenge, Alabama has resorted to hiring teachers with emergency certificates and working with long-term substitutes. While there has been a slight improvement over the course of the last couple of years as a result of these measures, there is still a significant number of available K-12 teaching positions.
While the number of teacher vacancies in Alaska is relatively low (324 positions were unfilled on the first day of the 2025–26 school year), the total number of teachers is also small, and about 1 in 4 Alaska teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). According to the Alaska Department of Labor Workforce Development, the issue is that teachers are leaving faster than they are being replaced. Most Alaska teachers who quit their current positions leave either the state or the industry altogether. The main unmet demands of local educators remain competitive wages and defined benefit options rather than unclear bonuses.
Arizona faces some of the most severe teacher shortages nationwide: its 4,242 vacant positions are the most of any state that publishes vacancy data (LPI, 2026). On top of that, many teaching positions are filled by educators who don’t meet the standard requirements. The main reasons behind this problem are low wages and lack of support for the profession.
The alternative fixes that Arizona is currently deploying, such as allowing people who pass a quick certification to teach, do not pose a long-term solution to the issue as they lead to suboptimal results.
Arkansas does not publish statewide data on unfilled teaching positions, which makes its vacancies hard to compare with other states, and there are major disparities across regions within the state. Altogether, about 1 in 11 Arkansas teachers is not fully certified for their assignment, whether on an emergency or provisional license or teaching outside their licensed subject (LPI, 2026). The root causes include low compensation, inadequate incentives, and general lack of bachelor’s degrees, especially in some geographic areas.
California ranks among the states that are most severely impacted by the nationwide teacher shortages. The state does not publish statewide vacancy data, but 35,182 of its teachers are not fully certified for their assignments, more than in any state except Texas (LPI, 2026). The challenge is driven by multiple factors including low pay, teacher burnout, retirements, and lack of interest in the profession among the youth.
In 2024, California passed a new law that eliminates barriers to the teacher profession in an attempt to attract more potential educators. The new legislation is expected to help address the problem by allowing those holding a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education to teach without the need to verify competence in reading, writing, and mathematics.
Colorado suffers from less dominant teacher vacancies than other states. Nevertheless, for rural areas this is still a major challenge. The main difficulties in recruiting teachers include low salaries, long commutes to remote locations, and fewer individuals willing to study education.
Colorado is handling the issue by offering stipends to those earning an education degree.
Connecticut witnesses teacher vacancies in certain areas, but generally speaking the problem is less intense than in other states. The reason behind existing shortages is that educator preparation programs do not produce enough teachers.
Connecticut has been addressing the issue by increasing class sizes, assigning more classes to teachers, and working with long-term substitute teachers, but there are not appropriate long-term solutions.
Delaware reports relatively few vacant positions (189), but about 1 in 3 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment, the second-highest share in the country (LPI, 2026). The state has been able to tangibly improve the situation by expanding investments, enhancing entry pathways, strengthening partnerships to boost the teacher pipeline, focusing on retention, and making data-based decisions.
Florida has one of the largest teacher shortages in the country: 25,292 of its teachers are not fully certified for their assignments, the third-highest number of any state (LPI, 2026). In addition to widespread vacant positions, many positions are filled by individuals who are not properly certified. Meanwhile, fewer and fewer college graduates go into education. As usual, the main factors that push Floridians away from the teacher profession are low pay (Florida’s estimated 2025–26 average teacher salary of $58,069 is the third-lowest in the nation; NEA, 2026) and the excessive amount of stress.
Georgia is another state where teacher shortages are a major problem, especially in low-income and majority Black communities. The challenge is two-fold: A large number of unfilled positions and teaching positions occupied by unqualified individuals. The reasons behind this are low pay, lack of professional support, inflation, significant teacher turnover, limited professional pool, more workload, and prevailing teacher burnout. Indeed, after inflation, Georgia’s estimated 2025–26 average teacher salary is about 2.5% lower than in 2016–17 (NEA, 2026).
Hawaii was recruiting for 294 teaching positions in its most recent published count (2023–24), and about 1 in 13 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). The situation has improved, but it is not clear whether this is a permanent solution or numbers might start going up again.
A main reason for the improvement has been higher retention as a result of the efforts on behalf of local authorities and school administrations.
Idaho does not publish statewide vacancy data, and about 1 in 15 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). A particularly worrisome trend in the state is the number of teachers who leave their job after the first year. Contributing factors include an aging workforce, less enrollment in teacher preparation programs, and high attrition.
The Illinois State Board of Education reports that the teacher vacancy rate tripled over the course of the past couple of years. Teacher shortages are especially pronounced in special education and bilingual education, posing a specific challenge. The main challenges include low compensation, high attrition, and lack of qualified candidates.
The number of teacher vacancies is not too high in Indiana, but the proportion of unqualified educators is considerable. This is the combined effect of fewer students joining teacher preparation programs and more teachers leaving the profession in pursuit of more competitive pay and less stressful positions.
Iowa is facing significant shortages not only among teachers but also among other school professionals, especially in the eastern school districts in the state. The current situation is negatively affecting the quality of education that many Iowa students receive. What is driving the current situation is a large number of teachers quitting and few qualified applicants for available vacant positions.
Kansas teacher vacancy rates continue to be high, particularly in elementary school core subjects, mathematics, and special education. The main reasons that push many away from the teacher profession in Kansas include long working hours, stress, disappointment, and low engagement. Some areas, such as Wichita, have reduced their shortages, but this has been achieved by significantly raising teacher salaries and closing down some schools.
Teacher vacancies are hurting the educational system in Kentucky too. Unlike other states, Kentucky exhibits multiple areas with teacher shortages. Districts are unable to fill available positions with qualified professionals as fewer students choose a career in education and more educators leave their jobs than ever before.
While the number of vacant teacher positions has declined in Louisiana, the state has one of the highest rates of unqualified educators nationwide. Generally speaking, unlike in other regions, fewer teachers are leaving, and more students are choosing education, but extremely low wages remain a challenge to addressing the dire situation in the Louisiana educational system.
Maine is among the states with the lowest teacher shortages, but the situation has been consistently worsening over time, raising a potential red flag for the future. Many Maine districts report that numerous schools have come to closing over the course of the past few years because of being unable to find teachers. Teacher shortages occur across a number of subject areas.
Maryland is regarded as one of the better states for teachers as a result of above-average salaries (an estimated $90,741 in 2025–26; NEA, 2026), good career advancement opportunities, strong teacher unions, and great teacher professional development options. In addition to being generally low, teacher vacancies in Maryland are further shrinking. The state has witnessed an increasing rate of enrollment in educator preparation programs after a previously downward trend.
Although there is a significant number of currently available teaching positions, Massachusetts has traditionally been one of the US states with the least problematic teacher shortages. Many Massachusetts school districts report teacher vacancies to be a major challenge. The main reasons behind this phenomenon are low compensation and long state certification procedures.
Michigan is not ranked among the states with the worst teacher vacancies, but this is still a problem, especially in some regions. Michigan has above-average teacher attrition and teacher turnover. The Michigan Education Association reports that more teachers leave the workforce each year than replace them, leading to a growing gap between available teaching positions and available teachers; the state reports 2,421 unfilled positions (LPI, 2026).
Even if Minnesota teacher shortages are not as bad as those in many other states, the inability to fill vacant teaching positions is still posing a major challenge. Currently, almost all school districts in Minnesota suffer from unsustainable teacher vacancies, among both full-time and substitute teachers. The pandemic is pointed as the main reason behind this as educators are still unable to recover from the burnout they reached at the time.
Mississippi has one of the largest teacher deficits in the nation: its 3,815 unfilled positions equal about 12% of its teaching workforce, the highest share of any state that publishes vacancy data (LPI, 2026). Many Mississippi schools have at least one vacancy that they are unable to fill. Districts in the Delta, the northeast, and rural areas are most significantly impacted.
With 656 unfilled positions and only about 2% of its teachers not fully certified for their assignments (LPI, 2026), Missouri has one of the smallest teacher shortages in the nation.
It’s worth noting that the state has poured significant funding into improving teacher recruitment and retention. Additionally, there were changes to the required state licensing to address the issue.
While Montana teacher vacancy figures already look high, some sources say they might be actually underestimated as many teachers hold multiple roles. The main reason behind this pressing issue within the state is decreasing teacher salaries in spite of growing funding available to schools, which largely goes towards rising administrators’ wages. Montana schools are increasingly prioritizing administration over instruction due to the former’s strong presentation in public education sector lobbies.
In the 2024-2025 school year, the Nebraska education sector is facing fewer vacant teaching positions than in the previous academic year. While many positions are filled by teachers who are not fully certified, Nebraska reports the fewest unfilled positions of any state that publishes vacancy data (107; LPI, 2026). Special education remains the area with the most significant shortages statewide though vacancies are present across a wide range of subjects, especially in elementary education.
Nevada has one of the most severe teacher shortages in the country. Its 2,881 unfilled positions equal about 12% of its teaching workforce, and about 1 in 3 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026).
These unfortunate statistics are the result of a falling apart educational system that is characterized by failure to retain teachers, hasty hiring processes, and low pay rates. Meanwhile, pursuing a career in education is rather expensive in Nevada, taking into account the high tuition fees. Another factor contributing to the extreme teacher vacancies in Nevada is the low public education funding level compared to other states nationwide.
While New Hampshire does not publish official numbers on the state teacher vacancies, this has been one of the states with the lowest rates. Still, rural regions and underserved areas suffer from teacher shortages, which are mostly attributed to teacher stress and burnout, poor student behavior and discipline, unfriendly school culture, and low compensation.
In the summer of 2024, New Hampshire signed a new law that aims to motivate teachers to take jobs in rural and underserved areas. This is done through measures such as student debt relief for early-career educators.
New Jersey does not publish statewide vacancy data, but it is one of the states that face the lowest teacher shortages: only about 1 in 38 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). The proportion of unqualified educators is also comparably low. Nevertheless, there are major discrepancies among school districts within the state. The subjects that experience the highest teacher vacancies include mathematics, science, and special education. The number one reason for this problem is the low number of students who opt for teacher preparation programs.
While teacher vacancies dropped minorly in New Mexico compared to last year, the available teaching positions in areas such as special education actually increased. Importantly, the state has a very high rate of relative teacher shortages as compared to the number of students enrolled in the New Mexico educational system. The main negative factors impacting public schools in the state include high turnover rates, lack of workforce diversity, lack of special education specializations, and lack of proper training and professional development opportunities. Meanwhile, teacher recruiting practices have marked an improvement.
New York does not publish statewide data on vacant teacher positions in New York. About 1 in 12 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026), close to the middle of the states, and New York is often ranked among the best states for teachers. That’s because of high average teacher wages (an estimated $100,367 in 2025–26, second only to California; NEA, 2026), strong career advancement potential, effective teacher unions, multiple professional development resources, and a functional pension system. Having said that, New York State regions with above-average child poverty rates and racially diverse students suffer from disproportionately high teacher vacancies.
North Carolina teacher shortages started coming under control after steep increases a couple of years ago. Similar to nationwide trends, low-income students in the state are affected more severely than the rest. The leading cause of high educator position vacancies is the decreasing number of students who want to build a career in the field.
There have been suggestions to eliminate the requirement for a state license to address the issue, but no official legislation has been passed regarding the matter.
With 219 unfilled positions and fewer than 1% of its teachers not fully certified for their assignments, North Dakota has the smallest share of teachers without full certification in the country (LPI, 2026). Still, the problem is apparent in a number of different subject areas but is most pronounced in special education where teacher recruitment and retention are particularly challenging.
In recent years, North Dakota launched a paraprofessional-to-teacher-pipeline program with focus on special education that has somewhat contributed to alleviating the crisis.
While the State of Ohio does not provide aggregate data on teacher vacancies, it is traditionally highlighted as one of the states with the highest predominance of teacher shortages across the country. Ohio public schools and school districts are facing problems with both recruiting teachers and retaining them in the long run. As a result, the educator labor force has been steadily declining over the years, since before the pandemic.
State authorities recognize offering competitive salaries and benefits as the first step towards addressing the challenge. Supportive working conditions, high-quality job-embedded support systems, and fundamental respect for the educator profession are other important factors.
The problem with the lack of sufficient teachers started developing more than a decade ago in Oklahoma. It is the combined result of low pay, an overwhelmingly stressful work environment, and politics, which made the profession less desirable than ever before. This leads to fewer and fewer young people choosing this career path.
In early 2025, the state passed a bill that established the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Agency in addition to providing tuition and mandatory fee assistance to those earning a bachelor’s degree as long as they commit to teaching in one of the subjects that are of most critical need of teachers.
The issue of teacher vacancies is well-pronounced in Oregon. The state does not publish statewide vacancy data, but about 1 in 13 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). The main drivers behind the crisis include rising college tuition and unpaid teaching internships which are required before a new graduate can apply for a formal teaching position.
While teacher shortages continue to persist in Pennsylvania, there has been a slight improvement in the statistics over the course of the past couple of years. Still, research shows that the main causes of excessive teacher vacancies are rooted in the low starting salaries, the sizable student loans, and the consistently declining respect for and prestige of this very demanding profession. Administrative overload, mental health challenges, limited autonomy, and lack of professional control further contribute to teacher burnout which leads to higher attritions and lower entries.
In Rhode Island, teacher shortages began during the pandemic and only exacerbated over the course of the last few years. Some districts have been forced to close classrooms due to the inability to hire teachers. Schools located outside urban areas are particularly severely affected by high teacher vacancies in Rhode Island. The main cause of the problem is overload and difficult working conditions including large class sizes, insufficient funding, demanding administrative tasks, and need for student support beyond teaching.
While the relative number of vacant K-12 teacher positions in South Carolina is not too high, the proportion of unqualified educators is rather distressing. In spite of some developments in recent years, the level of teacher shortages remains higher than before the pandemic. The number one reason for high teacher vacancies in the state is recognized as low pay, so the easiest way to fix the problem is to provide more competitive compensation and benefits to teachers.
The inability to recruit qualified teachers has had a disturbing effect on the South Dakota educational system. Local experts point out low pay, politics, and the lingering impact of the global pandemic as the chief drivers of this challenge. It’s important to note that South Dakota has one of the absolutely lowest average wages for K-12 teachers, which makes the profession really unattractive for students as well as existing teachers.
In 2025, the State of Tennessee is witnessing varying degrees of teacher shortages across subject areas. Teacher turnover rates are very high among new hires who frequently are deprived of proper coaching, mentoring, and peer support. This leads to burnout and desire to quit amid heavy workloads, unreasonable expectations, poor treatment of teachers, and student discipline. Establishing strong and effective support networks available to both new and experienced teachers can go a long way in Tennessee.
While the significant number of available teaching positions in Texas in 2025 should not be overlooked, there is another even more distressing aspect of the teacher shortage problem that needs to be paid attention to. Namely, about 1 in 4 Texas teachers (92,268) is not fully certified for their assignment, the most of any state (LPI, 2026). There is a wide range of factors that are contributing to the crisis in Texas including but not limited to low pay rates, lack of state funding for the education sector, and high attrition rates.
Some possible solutions include increasing teacher salaries and growing teacher preparation programs in addition to hiring unqualified teachers, which, however, cannot be a long-term strategy due to the negative effect on the quality of education.
Utah is usually ranked as one of the states with the absolutely worst teacher shortages. The state suffers from high student-teacher ratios, which limits the ability to increase class sizes in case of new teacher vacancies. The root causes of the problem in Utah comprise teacher retirement and low teacher retention. It’s worth noting that districts are unable to fill vacant positions although the state offers some of the best conditions for teachers nationwide, such as above-average salaries, strong professional development opportunities, and good retirement options.
Vermont is often described as having milder shortages than most states, yet about 1 in 8 of its teachers is not fully certified for their assignment (LPI, 2026). The problem is more clearly pronounced in the rural areas of Vermont where teachers get discouraged by the lack of adequate housing options, higher salaries in neighboring states (New York and Massachusetts), and the scarcity and high cost of childcare for their own children.
Virginia is facing a considerable teacher shortage situation although it is considered to be one of the top states for educators due to the strong potential for career advancement, available teacher unions, effective professional development options, and good pension benefits. Still, low pay, high workload, tough working conditions, and inefficient school leadership cause fewer to enter the profession and more to leave it.
Washington is another highly ranked state for teachers, but this doesn’t mean that there are no excessive vacancies in 2025. While the state pays one of the highest teacher salaries nationwide (an estimated $99,649 in 2025–26; NEA, 2026), 8,823 of its teachers are not fully certified for their assignments (LPI, 2026). Local education experts identify the lack of respect for the profession as the single most important factor driving teachers out of the workforce in Washington, but there is no easy fix for this growing challenge.
West Virginia is experiencing major teacher shortages, especially in some school districts. The problem is quite persistent across a range of subject areas. Education experts attribute the issue to, first, failing to attract new teachers and, second, being unable to retain experienced ones. The extremely low pay is cited as the main reason why many teachers quit within their first few years.
Teacher vacancies in Wisconsin include unfilled positions, unqualified educators, and high vacancies relative to the number of students in the state. This is the combined effect of declining absolute wages and increasing profession demands and responsibilities. Low compensation, poor work-life balance, consistent overload, and looking for better opportunities are the main reasons why many teachers quit in Wisconsin.
Like every other state, Wyoming also witnesses sharp teacher shortages. The most frequent reasons for teacher attrition include high stress, work-related anxiety, and lack of professional support. What is really disturbing is that many Wyoming K-12 teachers say they would leave the job if they had a plausible alternative.
Both absolute and relative teacher vacancies vary by state in 2026, but all regions of the US are to some degree affected by this grave problem. While the issue started developing prior to 2020, the pandemic turned it into a national crisis which remains unresolved to this moment. The main reasons that push K-12 teachers outside the workforce include low pay, lack of adequate support at the workplace, poor student discipline, and lack of respect for the teacher profession. There are no easy solutions, but federal and state authorities need to keep looking for effective measures to address teacher vacancies due to their detrimental impact on education, society, and the youth.
Fullmind services help school districts fill teacher vacancies with qualified, state-certified teachers. We can help with all core K-12 subjects and many electives. Services are available nationwide. Get in touch to discuss the needs of your district.
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Hosted by Hayley Spira-Bauer, Chief Academic Officer at Fullmind
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